5 Ways Restaurants Trick You

The music is loud, the colors are louder, and the A/C is cranked way too high. While you might chalk this up to questionable esthetics, these elements of restaurant dining are in fact deliberate choices made with one thing in mind: Making you to eat more, finds a new study from Cornell University’s food lab and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Researchers had a group of volunteers eat a meal in two nearly identical settings. The catch: One of those settings featured dimmer lighting and softer music than the other. People eating in the toned-down environment consumed 200 fewer calories—or roughly 18% less food—than those rocking out in the brightly lit room. Why? The more-relaxed environment increased the diners’ satisfaction and satiety.

Music and lighting are just two of the tricks restaurants employ to increase your appetite. Here are a few more to be on the lookout for:

Skip the alcoholic appetizers. Ever wonder why wait staff is so gung-ho to keep the drinks coming (beside the bill hike, of course)? Turns out that drinking booze just before a meal boosts short-term appetite and food consumption, finds a study from the University of Sussex. Researchers say alcohol may temporarily impair your body’s ability to feel full. Your best bet: Wait until your dinner’s arrived to start sipping.

Turn off the tube. Avoid bellying up to the bar for a look at whatever’s on TV. A University of Minnesota study found that watching TV distracts people while dining, which leads to a bump in the amount of food consumed. Basically, you’re too busy watching to recognize when you’ve had your fill.

Bring a sweater. German researchers found that lowering the temperature of a dining room by 10 degrees boosted food consumption nearly 20%. Apparently the hormones that control your appetite are slower to kick in when the temperature drops.

Wear your sunglasses. Sure, you might feel a little silly, but your waistline will thank you. Bold, bright colors excite your senses and so may boost the amount of food you eat by 25% or more, according to a Boston University study. Colors like red and orange act as visual stimulants, and also stoke your appetite, the BU study explains.